


The Gift

by sir_kingsley



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Dean Winchester, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Bottom Castiel (Supernatural), Bottom Castiel/Top Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester's Birthday, Established Relationship, M/M, Mating, Mating Bond, Multiple Orgasms, Omega Castiel (Supernatural), Omega Castiel/Alpha Dean Winchester, Rimming, Top Dean Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:47:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27916252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sir_kingsley/pseuds/sir_kingsley
Summary: The New Year came and went, cold and quiet but mostly without incident. The same could not be said about Covid, which was a surprise to no one with at least a drop of common sense. And while Castiel certainly harbored no flimsy hopes of reentering a safe and healthy civilization any time soon, he did find himself in a bit of a conundrum come mid-January.Because it’s his boyfriend’s birthday and he has absolutely no clue what to do.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 10
Kudos: 236
Collections: The Destiel Fan Survey Favs Collection





	The Gift

**Author's Note:**

  * For [xHaruka17x](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xHaruka17x/gifts).



> Hello! This is a belated birthday gift to my honorary wife @xharuka17x! My smut is nowhere near the level of yours, but I hope you still enjoy it! 
> 
> Happy birthday, Alpha ❤️

The New Year came and went, cold and quiet but mostly without incident. The same could not be said about Covid, which was a surprise to no one with at least a drop of common sense. And while Castiel certainly harbored no flimsy hopes of reentering a safe and healthy civilization any time soon, he did find himself in a bit of a conundrum come mid-January.

Because it’s his boyfriend’s birthday and he has absolutely no clue what to do. 

See, the issue is that Dean is surprisingly thoughtful when it comes to gifts and celebrations -- surprising only because Dean had spent the first few months of their relationship talking himself down and claiming he was the  _ absolute worst _ at giving gifts or romantic gestures in general. He’d worked himself into such a panic by their first anniversary that Cas had been bracing to open a box of venomous spiders. What he found instead was a lovely gold necklace with a sapphire pendant that Dean had  _ made himself _ . Because apparently he can just _ do that _ .

The bar couldn’t have been set any higher and yet year after year, Dean manages to surpass every expectation with every birthday, Christmas, Valentines, and anniversary and now Cas is the one panicking for weeks on end before every major event and holiday.

Cas had expected quarantine to level the playing field a little, seeing as they were cooped up at home together all the time now. For his own birthday back in September Cas had just asked for a simple dinner at home and a movie marathon, trying to offset any worries Dean might have about making it special during a global lockdown. But when he got home from work, he found the living room lined in bed linens and every pillow and blanket they owned arranged in the most darling nest Cas had ever seen. Dean had come out of the kitchen, flushed and bumbling out an apology about how it  _ wasn’t much _ . Ha! Cas had nearly torn the entire thing apart getting Dean naked and riding him so hard the neighbors started yelling at them through the wall.

Cas knows he could do something similar for Dean’s birthday and his sweet alpha would love it. Dean loves quality time, whether it’s happening at a bar or the living room. As long as Cas is with him, he’s happy. And as much as that warms Cas and helps him fall just a little more in love… all they’ve done for the past eleven months is spend quality time together! Hell, even in the past two months with all the holidays that would normally be spent with families, it had just been the two of them cuddled up on the couch. They’d found ways to make it romantic but still… the time after the holidays tends to be lethargic and Dean already has a bad habit of brushing off his birthday because everyone is so tired from Christmas and New Years. 

_ It’s nothing special, anyway, Cas. Just another year closer to death _ , he would say.

Well, not this year.

This birthday is special.  _ All  _ of Dean’s birthdays are special because  _ Dean  _ is special, but this year in particular Cas is going to give Dean something so that ridiculous alpha will never again doubt how special he is. 

Because this year, Cas is going to ask Dean to bite him.

They’ve been dating for four years, which some would say is too long for being unmated. But they’d met their final year of college and, while Cas had known Dean was the one by the end of their first year together, he had felt they were still too young and life was too chaotic to think about something as monumental as mating. He and Dean were still growing into themselves, learning how to navigate life as adults with real careers and all the bonus stressors that come with adulthood. Mating and marriage just hadn’t felt right. 

They’ve discussed it, of course, and Cas knows Dean is on board. The look of awe and excitement on Dean’s face every time the topic comes up has tested Cas’s patience on the matter more than once, so charmed by the alpha’s reaction he’s tempted to bare his neck then and there. 

They’re in a far better place now. Work has been stable for both of them, even through the pandemic. Dean’s made quite a name for himself doing custom auto work on classics and freelancing allows Cas to work anywhere. They have a modest but lovely home, a network of friends and family all around them, and, while Cas usually wasn’t one to buy into all of that biological clock mumbo jumbo, somehow he just knows - it’s time. 

So for his 26th birthday, Dean Winchester is getting a mate. 

  
  


*****

Of course nothing can ever go to plan, can it? 

After a long and deliciously lazy bout of morning sex and breakfast in bed that leads to loud and rough morning sex leaving his alpha perfectly sated and exhausted, Cas drags himself away to begin packing. 

He had suggested a camping trip to Dean weeks ago, selling it as an opportunity to get away from the world and just focus on them. Living in Texas affords them certain privileges during the winter and Cas fully plans to take advantage of it. It will still be chilly, of course, so Cas packs their thickest sweaters, wool socks, and every blanket they own. He can already imagine the darling nest they’ll build in their tent out in the woods, all curled into each other, not another soul for miles when Cas finally asks the alpha to make him Dean’s forever. 

Cas smiles to himself. It’s going to be perfect. 

“Uh, sweetheart?” Dean calls from the bedroom. Cas can hear him shuffling around and seconds later, he comes around the corner, pulling a T-shirt over his head with one hand while the other holds his phone near his face. “You may want to look at this.”

Still smiling, Cas takes the phone. And feels his smile promptly drop off his face. 

Temperatures drop to below freezing overnight in Northeast Texas.

“That’s not possible-” Cas starts, already walking toward the front door. He pulls it open without hesitation only to be hit by a wall of ice. He stumbles back, slamming the door shut with a curse and turns back to Dean. “What the fuck?”

Dean looks amused and grabs one of the blankets Cas just folded off the counter. “Sorry to break it to you, babe, but I don’t think sleeping in a tent all weekend is an option now.” His smile is sympathetic when he drapes the blanket over Cas’s shoulders. 

Cas feels crushed, his magnificent plans dashed away by a cold front of all things. In Texas! Part of the appeal of the camping trip was being alone with Dean. And Cas knows they’re technically  _ always alone _ together nowadays but - well, it’s different. They haven’t been anywhere  _ except  _ their house in so long and even though they live alone they’re still surrounded by neighbors and Dean still has to go to work and - Cas wants it to be about them when Dean finally claims him. Just them. He doesn’t want to hear the neighbor’s car door slamming shut in the morning or dogs barking at the mailman. He wants to run away from it all and pretend for two days that it’s just the two of them. 

“Whoa, Cas, it’s not that big a deal,” Dean rushes to reassure and Cas must look even more pathetic than he feels. “We’ll find something else to do, sweetheart.”

“No, I know,” he tells Dean, sounding petulant even to his own ears. “I just - I was really hoping - I wanted it to be special.”

Dean hand cups his chin, so soft and warm, and tilts his head up to meet his eyes. His beautiful, bright green eyes. “It’s always special if I’m with you.”

It’s almost embarrassing that he can still make Cas blush with such simple lines after almost five years together. “You know what I mean, Dean. I just wanted it to be the two of us.”

Dean grins. “Stingy, omega.”

Cas quirks a brow. “You’ve never complained about it before.”

“Wouldn’t dare.” Dean pecks him on the nose. “Well, if you’re so set on getting out of town, we can always go to Bobby’s cabin.” Dean shrugs thoughtfully. “It’s a longer drive but we can get in by tonight, probably have enough light to get a fire started and hunker down.” 

“Isn’t he having the cabin renovated?” Cas distinctly remembers the old man making a fuss about it last summer. 

“Yeah, Ellen finally busted his balls about installing air conditioning. Said there’s no point in owning a cabin they barely visit because it’s too damn hot.” Dean smirks. “But they finished that last summer.”

“But don’t we have to go get the key from Bobby?” That would add at least an extra hour to their drive; two if they’re being realistic because Ellen will insist on feeding them and sending Dean off with a pie. 

But Dean shakes his head. “I have the spare key.” He pulls Cas closer, voice dropping as he bends his head to speak into Cas’s ear. “We don’t even have to tell anyone we’re going. We can just disappear. Just me and you, Cas” Cas feels the barest bite of Dean’s teeth on his lobe and feels himself slick.

He takes a quick step back. “Okay, you get dressed and start taking the bags to the car. I’ll pack the cooler. Be ready in thirty.”

*****

They end up stopping for lunch just a couple hours out of town. (“I can’t help that I worked off breakfast as soon as I ate it!”)

They choose a small, discreet diner at the edge of a scenic tourist town that has clearly seen better days. They wear their masks inside and are relieved to see only four patrons in the entire place. The hostess puts them in a booth on the opposite end of the restaurant and once she leaves with their drink orders, finally remove their masks. 

“Place is kinda cute,” Dean muses as he takes in the farmhouse decor. 

“If you get any ideas about putting distressed furniture in my house, I’m kicking you out,” Cas warns. 

“It’s homey,” Dean tries. 

“It’s tacky.”

“Tell that to Bobby, city boy.” Dean chuckles and leans back in his booth, not even bothering to dodge the straw rapper Cas throws at his face. “Aren’t you supposed to be nice to me on my birthday?”

“I would if you didn’t make it so hard,” Cas smiles back. 

“Did I hear something about a birthday?” a cheery voice cuts in, startling both men. Dean and Cas both grab for their masks as their waitress approaches with their drinks. She sets them down and both hands fall to her hips. “So who’s the birthday boy?”

“That would be me, ma’am,” Dean says with a friendly wave, his southern drawl coming out to charm. 

Cas immediately doesn’t like the way the waitress’ eyes brighten when she looks at Dean and he definitely doesn’t like the way her mask suddenly puffs out. She shifts her weight to her right hip, practically leaning in to Dean and Cas has to pinch his thigh to keep from growling. 

“Now I know you can’t be from around here because I’d never forget a face that pretty,” she says and her voice has dropped a considerable amount. “So what brings you to town, sugar?”

Cas is on the verge of a full fit when he feels something rub against his leg and catches a sharp glance from Dean before he turns to the waitress and says, “Well, my partner is taking me on a romantic birthday trip in the mountains.”

The waitress’ gaze shifts to Cas for the first time as if she’s just now noticing him and Cas is seething. Her eyes are appraising for a moment and Cas wants to bite out that if she doesn’t back off the only tip she’ll be getting is to not flirt with someone’s boyfriend right in front of them. 

“Well ain’t that sweet,” she says. “Can’t imagine it’s very hard to get romantic with this one, though, huh, sweetiepie?” And she tilts her head toward Dean.

Cas squints at her. “Ma’am, I’m going into heat and we’re on our way to a cabin so my mate can fuck me without worrying about the neighbors calling the cops again,” Cas says dryly, looking directly into her eyes. “So unless you’d like a front row seat to just how romantic we can get with his knot in my hole, I suggest you take our orders so we can be on our way.”

Watching all the blood rush to and then out of her face all at once is probably the most pleasure Cas has ever felt in his life. Across from him, Dean’s jaw comes unhinged, nearly slapping the tabletop. 

“I-I-” the waitress starts but can’t find the words.

“He’ll have the bacon cheeseburger with extra bacon and a side of onion rings. I’ll take the BLT with fries.” Cas snatches the menu out of Dean’s hands and puts them in the waitress’ limp ones. “Oh,” he thinks a second later, “and a piece of cherry pie for the birthday boy.” He smiles as sweet as he can. “He’s gonna need the energy later.”

He isn’t sure if she runs away or just kind of dissolves into the void but eventually she’s gone and Cas is left with a blushing, sputtering alpha. 

“C-Cas!” Dean hisses. “What the fuck?”

Cas shrugs. “She was flirting with you even after you told her I was your partner.”

“It was harmless!”

“It was rude,” Cas snaps. 

Dean leans back heavily in his booth, face contorting through a series of emotions and ending somewhere between amused exasperation. “You could have just pissed on me.”

Cas dunks his straw into his sweet tea and takes a sip. “We’ve been over this, Dean - I’m not into-”

“Stop trying to be cute, you ass,” Dean says, shaking his head. “You are - I can’t even -” He shakes his head again. “You’re so lucky I love you.”

Dean’s hand is lying open on the table so Cas slides his into it and squeezes tightly. “Yes I am.”

*****

They arrive at the cabin with about an hour of sun to spare and a half eaten cherry pie from the diner they are never allowed to return to - Dean’s rule. 

The temperature is already dropping so they work quickly to set up. Cas carries the bags inside and starts unpacking the contents of the cooler into the fridge while Dean gathers firewood from the woodpile out back. Despite what Dean may think, Cas is quite fond of Bobby’s rickety old cabin. It’s definitely rustic, but in a more authentic, lived-in way. Every piece of furniture has a purpose and story and Ellen’s touches over the years have certainly improved it. The couch, for instance, is a game changer and Cas will always be grateful for the unholy fit she threw bemoaning that old broken down one that had belonged to Bobby’s  _ parents _ . 

“I’m not sure if a fire is gonna cut it tonight,” Dean says once he returns from his last trip outside. His face is pink and his jaw is chattering as he removes his coat and boots. 

“You think it’s safe to turn the heat on?” Cas asks. To his knowledge, no one else has been up here since last summer. 

Dean shrugs and heads for the thermostat. “Guess we’ll have to wait and see.” He pokes a few buttons and they hear the cabin moan and a generator kicking on somewhere in the back. 

Cas starts on dinner while Dean unpacks their bags in the bedroom. The cabin may not have been Plan A, but Cas has to admit he likes the convenience of a full kitchen to cook in rather than having to do it over a fire. 

Dean comes out in a pair of sweatpants, wool socks, and a green sweater Cas remembers buying him for a birthday several years ago, and he looks so warm and comfortable Cas doesn’t try to fight to urge to go and wrap his arms around him. 

Dean hugs him back without pause and Cas sighs into his broad chest, letting a sense of safety and calm envelop him. “What’s gotten into you, cuddle bug?” Dean asks in a quiet voice, like he doesn’t want to disturb the man clinging to him. 

Cas gives one last, long squeeze before stepping back with a sharp smirk. “Nothing yet,” he quips and loves the way Dean laughs. 

“Get your head out of the gutter and your ass in the kitchen before you burn my birthday dinner.”

They fall into a routine, just as they would at home - Dean setting the table and pouring the wine while Cas plates the food and carries it to the table. Dean makes a sound that Cas usually only hears when he has his mouth somewhere on Dean’s body and it brings him a ridiculous amount of joy to know he’s made his alpha happy. 

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you,” Dean says as he cuts into his steak. “But I’m so glad I did it.”

“Making me cum four times on our second date stands out to me,” Cas responds evenly and scoops up a spoonful of garlic mashed potatoes. 

Dean smiles around his bite of food, eyes rolling back in his head. “Five,” he says when he finishes chewing and stabs his fork into another piece. “Tonight you’re getting five.” 

Cas grins. “I’ll hold you to that.”

Dean volunteers to do the dishes once they’ve finished eating and Cas only lets him because he washed most of the big stuff as he was cooking and he needs some time in the room to build the nest anyway. The nest is usually Dean’s thing - alpha instincts to provide and all that - but tonight is his birthday and Cas wants to provide for  _ him _ . He starts by gathering all the extra pillows they packed and arranging them at the headboard and along one side of the bed. He adds layer after layer of blankets, and once everything looks soft and comfy, goes to get himself ready. 

Cas is just pulling his pajamas over his little surprise when the lights go out. He freezes in the dark, waiting for something - a crash, a scream, an ax murderer, he couldn’t tell you, but he doesn’t move until he hears Dean calling for him. 

“What happened?” he asks, feeling his way to the living room. The fire lends an orange glow to at least half of the room so Cas can just make out Dean’s silhouette by the front door. 

  
  


“Power shorted,” Dean says, audibly mad. Cas hears the swish of his coat. “Don’t think the generator was ready to run so much at once. I’m gonna go out back and see what I can do. Stay by the fire, baby.” 

Dean runs out the door, shutting it quickly behind him. Cas settles on the couch and waits as patiently as he can for either the lights to come on or Dean to come back. It’s Dean who returns, which Cas takes as a bad sign regarding the power. 

“Can’t get the damn thing to turn back on,” he says, teeth chattering. “Damn, it’s cold.”

“What should we do?” Cas asks.

Dean peels off his coat and boots and joins Cas on the couch. Cas quickly covers him with a blanket and moves closer, shivering in his cold arms. “Well, we still have the fireplace. We can move the bedding in here to sleep for the night and then I’ll try working on the generator again in the morning when I can see better.” 

Cas can’t resist a brief pout that his nest must be torn down, but it passes quickly when he remembers the alternative is freezing his ass off all night long. 

“I’ll go grab the bedding.”

They arrange everything on the floor, using the foot of the coach to prop their bigger pillows up. Dean grabs a fresh bottle of wine and the rest of the cherry pie and, once they’re settled, it’s quite cozy. Cas feels deeply content feeding Dean bites of pie, a fire roaring in front of them. Everything is orange and warm and  _ right _ . 

“Happy birthday, Dean,” he whispers because anything louder just wouldn’t be right.

Dean smiles, soft and pleased. “Thank you for making it special, sweetheart.”

“We haven’t even gotten to the special part.”

“Oh? You mean feeding me free cherry you pie you harassed out of a poor waitress wasn’t the special part?”

Cas scowls and drops the fork. “I did not harass her,” he insists for maybe the dozenth time since the diner. “She was harassing  _ you _ .”

“I didn’t feel harassed,” Dean says lightly. 

Cas can feel a vein in his temple twitching. “She was flirting with you right in front of me, Dean. What was I supposed to do?”

Dean tries to look thoughtful for a second and Cas knows he’s going to hate whatever he says next. “Hold my hand? Ask her to stop directly? Ignore her?”

“You told her I was your partner and she kept going!”

“It’s not like anything was going to happen, Cas,” Dean laughs. “She’s a waitress. They do that shit. You’ve seen the movies.”

Cas gapes for a moment, not completely sure if he believes what he’s hearing. “This isn’t a movie, though, Dean - this is our life. Together. You told her I was your partner and she didn’t stop, and even if you hadn’t told her, it was still inappropriate. I was perfectly within reason to be upset.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t have to threaten the whole diner with the image of me taking you on a goddamn table,” Dean snaps back. 

Cas swallows the defensive retort that comes to mind, wise enough to recognize Dean has at least  _ half  _ a point. “I admit that may have been crossing a line, but I won’t apologize for protecting what’s mine.” Cas has always been told he’s a possessive bastard, with territorial instincts on par with the strongest of alphas. But Dean understands this. It’s one of the reasons they work out so well because Dean is just as possessive and from almost the first moment they saw each other they had known there would never be anyone else. 

“What’s yours,” Dean snorts and it shocks Cas - because what on Earth did  _ that  _ mean?. “You called me your mate,” Dean continues, voice much softer all of a sudden.

“What?”

“At the diner,” Dean clarifies, looking into the fire. “You called me your mate.”

Cas blinks. “And?”

Dean shrugs and sighs. “Nothing, I guess. Just… yeah - nothing.”

“Dean, what the hell does that mean?” Cas demands, out of patience. He has no idea how they even got to this conversation but he doesn’t like the path it seems to be going down. “Are you upset I called you my mate?”

Does Cas have it all wrong? Does Dean not want to mate him? Maybe that awe and excitement had been… dread and panic. Cas feels as though he’s been hit in the stomach. 

“I’m not upset,” Dean sniffs. “Just surprised.”

And that’s it. Cas shoves the blanket off him and stands. “Well, I’m sorry for crossing so many boundaries for you today. Had I known just the idea would be so  _ surprising  _ to you, I could have saved you half a fucking decade. I’ll let you enjoy the rest of your birthday in peace.” And he stomps into the bedroom and locks the door.

*****

Falling asleep was never really an option. Between the cold and Cas’s need to replay the entire dreadful conversation on loop in his head, it was hard to even feel tired. 

Dean finds the idea of mating him…  _ surprising _ . 

Cas can’t wrap his head around it. They’ve talked about it so many times over the years. What - what had Dean expected? That they would just continue dating for the rest of their lives? No marriage or mating? Cas understands that’s ideal for some people, and he doesn’t judge, but he - he always thought - he thought he and Dean wanted  _ more _ . A life, a family, a promise to belong to each other forever.

Maybe Dean doesn’t want forever with Cas. Maybe the idea of being tied to someone for the rest of his life scares him. Cas can understand that. Mating, creating that bond between bodies and souls, it’s a huge commitment. That’s why they’ve waited this long. Maybe Dean just needs more time. 

But Cas doesn’t. And if they aren’t on the same page after five years together and plenty of conversations… it’s hard not to wonder if they ever will be. 

A chill deeper than cold air shutters through Cas’s body and he pulls the measly quilt higher over himself. He’d taken all the other blankets and pillows into the living room for the nest and the howling winds outside are well below freezing by this point. Cas’s entire body aches from the constant cold but he refuses to go out there. He doesn’t want to see Dean, not now, not in the morning. 

_ God _ , he moans internally. They’ll have to drive home tomorrow. There’s no point in staying trapped another night in a cabin with each other when Dean clearly doesn’t want this life with Cas. It’s going to be a long, painful drive. Cas will have to text Anna in the morning to see if he can stay with her for the next few weeks. He and Dean need time apart. 

His chest hurts thinking about it, but it can’t be avoided. Regardless of where Dean’s at in all this, Cas needs space to think about what he wants. Because if Dean doesn’t want to be his mate - well, maybe they should cut their losses now. 

Cas finally starts to drift off in the hours of the early morning, but he never really sleeps. A shiver or a chill always brings him back and his fingers and toes feel like they’re burning they’re so damn cold. Cas is stubborn as they come but he knows his limits. 

He opens the door as quietly as he can and peeks into the dark expanse of the living room. The fire is smaller but still going, giving just enough light to illuminate Dean’s lumpy form curled up on the floor. Cas ignores the clenching in his chest and tiptoes near the couch, looking for a blanket he can take without disturbing the sleeping man. 

He finds a few bundled up near Dean’s feet and, oh so carefully, pulls them free. He considers stealing a pillow too, but can’t be confident he won’t use it to smother the dumb alpha who wasted the past five years of his life. 

_ They weren’t a waste _ , his heart tells him. And Cas knows that. He knows his time with Dean was special and amazing and even if they do break up and it hurts like hell, he’ll never regret it. But right now he’s angry and heartbroken and if he’s going to lean into one, it’s going to be the anger. He can function with anger. He can get through the night with anger. He can survive a five-hour car ride with anger. 

With his armful of blankets, Cas steps back and turns toward the cold bedroom. 

“Don’t go back in there.”

Cas startles at the sound of Dean’s voice. He just gets his bearings when the alpha shifts onto his back and Cas can just make out his eyes in the glow of dying embers. 

“I thought you were asleep,” Cas says. 

Dean shakes his head, chest rising with a deep breath. “I don’t think I’ve slept without you next to me in… shit, three years?” 

There had been an auto convention in Houston Dean’s job sent him to. Usually Cas would tag along and work from the hotel room but he’d had an interview in town he couldn’t reschedule. It had been the longest weekend of Cas’s life and he’d ended up sleeping on the couch because the bed had felt too big. 

Maybe Dean had enjoyed it though. Maybe he’d needed that space, just like tonight. He was always complaining about how Cas wrapped around him like an octopus. God, how many signs has Cas missed?

“Well, sorry for smothering you in bed too,” Cas snarls and starts to leave again.

“What? No - Cas-”A warm hand grabs his wrist before Cas can take a second step and Cas almost drops his blankets. “Can we please talk about this?”

“I don’t want to talk about it right now,” Cas quips and tries to pull his arm free but Dean’s hand falls into his palm and laces between his fingers, tight. 

“Cas, we gotta - shit, babe, you’re freezing!” The tone of alarm in Dean’s voice is a surprise and Cas is too unfocused to fight it when Dean gives a strong tug and suddenly Cas is falling. He doesn’t have time to try to catch himself before landing on Dean’s chest, Dean’s arms locking around his torso to hold him close. “Why didn’t you come out here sooner, you dummy, are you trying to get hypothermia?” Dean shivers and his hands start rubbing up and down Cas’s back - and it’s so nice Cas’s eyes fall closed without his permission. 

He’s so tired and so cold and he wants to get lost in the warmth and comfort of Dean’s body. But he can’t forget everything that happened earlier, what Dean said, how Cas  _ feels _ . 

“I want to go back to bed,” he says into Dean’s shoulder. 

Dean actually growls, his arms becoming that much tighter. “Can you stop being a stubborn bastard for like ten minutes and just let me warm you up?”

Cas wants to bite back that he’s not being stubborn - he’s trying to give Dean the space the alpha clearly needs. But he’s cold and his body hurts and Dean smells like clove and cinder and feels so good, so right. Cas releases the breath he’s been holding and lets himself relax. Ten minutes, he reasons, and then he’ll go back to the room and he and Dean can hash this out in the morning. 

“I’m sorry if you feel like I’ve… been pushing you.” He doesn’t mean to say the words, but they slip out and he doesn’t regret them. 

Dean is quiet for a long moment, still rubbing Cas’s back in big comforting circles that would usually have Cas purring. “You have nothing to be sorry about,” he says quietly. “I never meant to pressure you. We’ll wait for as long as you need, Cas.”

Cas hums and burrows his face deeper into Dean’s neck. But then Dean’s words catch up to him and the wheels in his brain start to spin. He pulls back, though Dean’s hold doesn’t afford him much room. “What do you mean as long as  _ I  _ need?”

Dean’s eyes look sad when he meets Cas’s gaze and it takes all of the air out of Cas’s lungs. “For mating. I - I get it, okay? Even though we’ve been together for a while, it’s still a big change. And I - we’ll wait for as long as you need. Or never. Whatever you want.” The breath he takes feels defeated. “As long as I still have you, I’m happy.”

“Dean - I - I don’t - I want-,” Cas stutters, brain working overtime to catch up on this huge change in direction. Because it sounds like Dean thinks  _ Cas  _ is the one who doesn’t want to mate. “I want to mate,” he eventually works out. “Dean, I want to mate you.”

Dean nods slowly, like he understands, but Cas doesn’t think he really  _ does _ . “Right, yeah. But later. And that’s okay.”

Cas shakes his head vigorously. “No, Dean. I mean  _ now _ . I - it was going to be my birthday gift to you. I was going to ask you to bite me tonight.”

For a long moment, neither of them move, Cas pretty much in Dean’s lap, hanging on to the alpha’s shoulders like a lifeline. 

“You were - you - you were gonna ask me to bite you?” Dean echoes. 

He sounds like he doesn’t believe Cas, which irks Cas more than it should. “Why do you sound so shocked?”

“Because I - I - I thought you didn’t want to mate,” Dean blunders through an explanation. “I mean - every time we talked about it you just got quiet and said it wasn’t the right time. And like - yeah, okay - two years ago I understood. We were really young and work was stressful but-” He breaks off, shaking his head, and when he looks at Cas his eyes are hard, determined. “You’re it for me, Cas. I want to be yours. And I want you to be mine.”

Cas is speechless - because Dean just said he wants to be his mate. And it sounds like he’s wanted it for a while, just as Cas had thought before-

“But earlier you said you were surprised that I called you my mate at the diner,” Cas says and he can smell his own scent souring as he remembers it. “Like - like the idea of being my mate… made you uncomfortable.”

“What? Baby, no, no.” Dean’s hands slide to Cas’s waist, pulling his body impossibly closer. “I was surprised because you’ve never said it before. And I thought you didn’t want to mate at all.”

Cas lets his head fall back to Dean’s shoulder, letting all of this information settle. Dean wants to be Cas’s mate. He wants it just as badly as Cas. This was all just one big dumb misunderstanding. 

And to think he almost froze to death over this. 

Well, there’s really only one thing left to do now. Dean’s birthday may have ended a few hours ago, but better late than never, right?

Cas turns his face into Dean’s neck licks at the juncture of his shoulder. “Alpha,” he murmurs, feeling Dean stiffen in his hold. He kisses his way up Dean’s neck to his sensitive ear, nibbling on the lobe before brushing his lips against the shell. The room suddenly feels hot and heady, the air thick with tension, but a tension Cas craves, the kind of tension that bears new unions and fresh starts. “Make me yours.”

They move like water, so fluid and natural. Cas doesn’t lift a finger as Dean undresses him, allowing his soon-to-be-official alpha to take care of him. He lays back on the spread of blankets and pillows, sinking into the nest that smells like Dean and alpha and home. Dean presses the most gentle kisses along his hipbones and Cas lifts up instinctively so Dean can slide his pants down. 

It’s not until Dean’s growl that he remembers the surprise he had planned the night before.

“Fucking hell, Cas,” Dean moans and Cas jumps when he feels Dean mouthing at his hardening cock through the silk fabric of his panties. 

Dean’s tongue is magic. Cas has known this for years now, of course, but the next ten- Twenty? Sixty? - minutes seek to remind him as Cas loses all grasp of reality, lulled into a borderline hypnotic state of physical pleasure as Dean licks and nipples over the most sensitive parts of him. By the time Cas comes to, he’s been turned onto his stomach and his panties are gone and two of Dean’s fingers have joined that talented tongue in Cas’s hole. Cas moans into the pillow, overwhelmed by the heat storming through his body as Dean brings him closer and closer to his peak, his pleased noises vibrating through Cas’s body. There’s something about hearing how much Dean loves eating Cas out, like a starved man being gifted the world’s finest culinary delicacies, and Cas cries as his orgasm tears through him. 

“Mm, don’t tap out on me yet, baby.” He hears Dean’s deep voice rumble in his ear, feels his prickly cheek nuzzle against Cas’s and all Cas can do is whimper in response, not sure if he’s dreaming. “C’mon, Cas, you’ve only come twice. How are you gonna survive three more?”

“Twice?” Cas mumbles, trying and failing to flip himself over so he can see Dean. But he feels boneless and not a single muscle in his body feels like working. 

Dean’s chuckle tickles through Cas’s body where the big alpha is pressed against him. It feels like sitting in one of those big massage chairs and Cas sinks impossibly deeper into the nest. “You don’t even remember the first one do you?”

Cas shakes his head - or he means to at least - and Dean just laughs again. The heat of his body pulls away and Cas registers Dean’s broad hands settling on his hips before he’s being flipped over yet again. He blinks his eyes sleepily, and Dean’s face slowly comes into focus, a fond grin curving his lips in the most tempting way. Cas wants to kiss him but doesn’t have the strength to lift his head. 

“You’re cute when you’re all blissed out,” Dean tells him, leaning down to nuzzle at Cas’s throat again.

Cas purrs at the soft affection, getting lost for a short while until he remembers the entire point of what they’re doing. He turns his head, capturing Dean’s lips with his own, and he feels nothing but pure sin when he tastes himself on Dean’s tongue and he feels his hole become wetter. 

“Alpha,” he moans, throwing his head back. “God - Dean, I need you. Make me yours.”

Dean takes advantage of Cas’s exposed throat to adorn it with kitten licks and sweet kisses that have Cas squirming in seconds. “You’ve always been mine, Cas. My beautiful omega. My perfect mate.”

Those same big but gentle hands rub up Cas’s thighs before pushing them apart and Cas moans at the feeling of Dean slotting between his legs. He can feel Dean’s hard length brush against his hole, just a teasing touch, and Cas’s body shakes with delicious shivers. He can feel his hole tighten around nothing, begging for something to fill it. 

“You’re so wet, omega,” Dean breaths into Cas’s shoulder. He rocks his hips down, sliding his cock through all the slick pooling from Cas’s ass. Cas can hear the wet, squelching sound with every push and pull and it’s enough to make him feral with need.

His arms wrap around Dean’s shoulders, fingers digging into the smooth muscle of his alpha’s back and he clings like his life depends on it. “Please, alpha, please,” he begs, too hot and needy to stop himself. He needs Dean’s cock inside him  _ now _ . 

“What is it, Cas? What do you need?” Dean asks and lets the tip of his cock catch on Cas’s rim. 

Cas cries out, hips pushing down to take Dean in but Dean pulls away. “I need your cock!” he whimpers. “Please, alpha, I need you!”

“You want me to slide my cock inside you? Is that all?”

Cas shakes his head wildly and knows he must look a mess. But his body is burning and Dean’s cock is still teasing his rim, just a gentle pressure that holds so much promise. 

“What else do you need, Castiel?” Dean asks again, his voice somehow even deeper than before. 

“I need you to fuck me,” Cas whimpers, praying that’s answer enough. 

But it’s not. Dean moans. “And what else?” He pushes a little harder, the tip popping just past Cas’s rim but no further and Cas chokes on his breath. “After I fill this tight little hole with my big cock and fuck you, what else do you need?”

Cas is almost beyond words at this point, his mind threatening to black out on him again. “C-cum,” is all he can manage as he tries to fuck himself down on Dean’s tip but Dean holds him down with a hand on his waist and it’s so agonizing Cas feels actual tears start to well up.

“You said cum, Cas? Whose cum? You want me to make you cum? You wanna cum all over your belly for the third time?” Dean keeps questioning him as if he isn’t aware Cas is on the verge of a full breakdown. “Or do you want my cum inside you? Do you want me to fuck my knot inside you and cum so deep it will be hours before it starts to leak out of you?”

Cas’s fingers clench around a blanket and he nods, nods as hard and fast as he can. 

“Use your words, omega,” Dean says darkly. 

Cas whines. It sounds more animal than human. “B-both,” he says

“Jesus, baby, you’re barely keeping it together,” Dean moans. “So hot when you’re so needy like this. Are you needy, Cas? Are you desperate for my cock?”

“Yes, alpha!”

And finally -  _ finally  _ \- Dean starts to push in. Cas’s hole swallows him greedily, not asking for a single moment of adjustment. Dean pushes until he’s fully seated and grinds him hips into Cas, his cock brushing Cas’s prostate and Cas nearly screams. 

“Oh God!”

“I have one more question for you, omega,” Dean pants into Cas’s ear and it’s so good to hear how strained he is, that Cas isn’t the only one going out of his mind. “Because I’m going to fuck you. I’m going to fuck you until you forget your own name. And then I’m gonna fuck my knot into you and I’m gonna fill you so good you’ll never want to be empty again. And I’m gonna make you cum again while I release inside you. And once you’re nothing but a cum drunk mess, do you want me to bite you?”

Cas is fully sobbing by the time Dean stops talking. He wants all of that, everything Dean just said. He wants all of it and more every day for the rest of his life. He wants this alpha, wants Dean, and all he has to offer, forever and always. 

Taking a short breath, Cas swallows and says the magic words, “Yes, alpha.”

Dean delivers on every single promise, fucking his cock into Cas’s hole like it’s his only purpose in life. Cas feels Dean inside him and he’s drunk on it, enraptured by the delicious stretch, the slapping of skin against skin. Dean scoops his arms under Cas’s, lifting the omega off the floor and holding him in his lap as he pistons his hips harder than Cas has ever felt before and Cas cums for the third time that night completely untouched. 

Dean’s rhythm never falters, even as he lays Cas back down and hikes one of his legs over his shoulder, allowing him to get even deeper. Cas shakes and squirms against the nest, giving complete control to his alpha. 

When Dean gets close, he lowers Cas’s leg and leans down for a kiss. Cas is already struggling to breathe and the kiss makes him lightheaded and giddy. He feels Dean’s knot teasing his rim, pushing a little deeper with each thrust and Cas is practically drooling with need to feel Dean make a mess inside him. He wants to be full, wants to feel it leaking, wet and sticky inside him. 

Dean shouts Cas’s name and that’s all the warning he gets before Dean’s knot shoves inside and locks and Cas feels Dean’s release flood inside him. He moans at the sensation, feeling so dirty and almost gluttonous in a way because he wants more. Dean grinds into him throughout his orgasm, lifting Cas’s hip to the perfect angle so Dean can worship his prostate and in no time, Cas is having his fourth orgasm of the night. 

And in the bliss of his peak, body shaking with exhaustion and every nerve ending buzzing with pleasure, Dean finally bites him. His body isn’t prepared for the hurricane of rapture and when an unmistakable fifth orgasm follows right after the last, Cas screams. 

When Cas comes to after passing out for the second - third? - time that night, he’s lying on his side, curled comfortably in the strength and safety of Dean’s arms. The fire is blazing a little brighter than he remembers, dousing the room in warmth. Cozy is the word that comes to mind and Cas smiles and turns. 

“Back with the land of the living?” Dean’s soft voice rumbles once they’re facing each other. Cas loves the way the fire reflects in Dean’s eyes, the way the orange glow illuminates his mate’s perfect skin.

Mate. Cas is suddenly very aware of the bite mark on his shoulder, still tender and achy but in the most welcoming way. 

“Not completely,” Cas hums and pushes his face into Dean’s neck. 

Dean smells like clove and smoky woods and bergamot and rain. He smells like Cas - smells like  _ them _ . 

“We’re mates,” Cas says because he needs to hear the words out loud.

“We’re mates,” Dean agrees and his tone is heavy with reverence and -  _ joy _ . 

Cas angles his head back so he can look at Dean again and smiles maybe the biggest smile in all his years of life. “Happy birthday, Dean.”

Dean smiles back and leans to gift him a chaste kiss. “Couldn’t have been happy without you.”

  
  



End file.
